SCI-FI NEWS

We expected this was coming, we were just waiting for the announcement. Our friends at ERCBoxoffice have confirmed that Warner Bros is delaying Jeff Nichols' big studio sci-fi movie Midnight Special until March of 2016. It was originally scheduled for release on Thanksgiving, November 25th, later this fall. The film is finished and has been test screening all year along, with reports that it needs some additional work surfacing across the internet. Jeff Nichols' (pictured above) Midnight Special, featuring Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton, Adam Driver, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, will now open on March 18th, 2016 next year.

Whose side are you on? The new Scorch Trials trailer is here. 20th Century Fox has debuted the second full-length trailer for Wes Ball's Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, introducing a darker world outside of the Maze in The Maze Runner movie. Dylan O'Brien stars as Thomas, who begins to lead a revolution with a small group of kids in tow. This trailer, following the first one from a few months ago, really shows a lot more of the story and possibly some big spoiler moments. Fox seems to be giving it all they got with this to go up against Hunger Games - tons of explosions, post-apocalyptic landscapes, zombie creature things, kids disrespecting adults - what more could you want? "The world outside is hanging on by a very thin thread…"

There's always more. We knew this was coming, it was just a matter of time. Universal has announced a release date of June 22nd, 2018 for the currently untitled Jurassic World sequel. They don't even have a director either, since Colin Trevorrow said he wouldn't be back again after Jurassic World. However, it's likely the story will continue with Chris Pratt's raptor tamer character Owen. Beyond that, details are sparse because the movie is three years away; they just wanted to set a deadline for when it has to be out in theaters (before the buzz dies off). Based on the box office, no one should be worried that it's going to make a boatload of cash as long as they find another director who can wrangle big ass dinosaurs. We'll be waiting.

"This thing we have… we never asked for it, but it's part of me." Whoa. IFC Midnight has unveiled the official trailer for one of their interesting sci-fi indies, called One & Two, from up-and-coming filmmaker Andrew Droz Palermo. From what I can tell, the film is about two kids – a brother and sister – who have the ability to teleport. But they're stuck in a time when this power is perceived as the Devil's work. I hate to make this comparison, but it kind of seems like Chronicle if it were a dramatic period piece. The description says they have "terrifying supernatural powers" but it seems as if they're limited mostly to teleportation. I'm very intrigued by this, I love the score and the way it builds, I really, really want to see it. Take a look below.

"Ever wonder how we design futuristic props, create alien heads, devise new languages or pull them all together in a film scene?" The latest Omaze charity video for Justin Lin's Star Trek Beyond has debuted. This time we get to spend time with actors Simon Pegg and Anton Yelchin, plus Yelchin's pooch Elvis, as they tour around the Enterprise. There are also some cool shots of one of the alien heads and other props on the Star Trek Beyond set. There isn't anything particularly revealing in this promo, no one was expecting anything like that, but it is cool to see them on set. If you haven't already donated, there is still some time.

"Save the clock tower!" In honor of the 30th anniversary of the original release of Robert Zemeckis' sci-fi Back to the Future, some theaters will be hosting a special screening of the entire trilogy this October. SlashFilm broke the news, saying that with the new 30th anniversary Blu-ray release on October 21st this fall, the entire trilogy will also be playing in theaters on the same day. There's not much info available yet, but they od say this is the one of the first times the entire trilogy will be screened, not just the first film. It's all timed for the new Blu-ray set, since the actual release of the original film was on July 3rd. More below.

"Another alien from outer space is featured in…" Ready for an awesome trip back in time? This video has been on YouTube for years, but it's surfacing again this week thanks to a post on The A.V. Club about just how awesome the movies from the summer of 1982 were. It's an uploaded recording of a segment from Entertainment Tonight in 1982 looking ahead at the upcoming summer of movies, specifically the science fiction movies playing that year. Many will recall that 1982 was one of the best years for sci-fi movies ever, and this preview reminds us of all the glorious movies that arrived that summer: Steven Spielberg's E.T., Poltergeist, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, John Carpenter's The Thing, and Tron. Just… sit back, relax, and enjoy the crap out of this vintage TV summer movie preview.

There's a line of dialogue missing from this scene. Director Neill Blomkamp just posted a new hint on social media at some of the concept art for his Alien movie in the works. We've been following development on this closely ever since it was announced that Blomkamp would be working with Ridley Scott on a new Alien. This art shows that Sigourney Weaver as Ripley and Michael Biehn as Captain Hicks definitely seem to have a role in this new one. There's also a glimpse at some kind of mech that seems to be a signature Blomkamp suit of armor to the side. Neill only said: "#alien going very well. Love this project." View below.

"Nine months in the dark, freezing cold, sharing breathers." This is cool. Get ready for a deep dive with this short film, titled The Leap, from Belgian director Karel van Bellingen. The short takes place on the "Old World", meaning Earth after a "New Earth" is discovered in 2069. Millions of people left back on the old Earth cannot afford the "leap" to the new Earth, so it becomes their dream and they'll figure out any way to get there. Which is why the IPMA exists, the Interplanetary Migration Administration, in order to police and manage the growing human trafficking problem. There are definitely some strong Blade Runner influences in this, but it also has a slightly different story to tell. Thanks to Geek Tyrant for the tip. Fire this up below.

"A chance to boldly go where no man–or woman has gone before." Paramount has partnered with Omaze for another unique charity exclusive, this time for the upcoming Star Trek Beyond (or Star Trek 3) being directed by Justin Lin. The film is currently in production, and the cast filmed a video for Omaze walking around the USS Enterprise set. Many may also remember that Omaze also partnered with Lucasfilm for Star Wars, and released videos from the set in order to raise charity money. Now they're flipping over to Star Trek and offering a chance to be in the movie and win a grand prize of a walk on role in Star Trek Beyond (more info here). You can see the video of them, including Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, on set below.

"I'm finally ready to take you guys back through my footage and begin to tell you what Detroit was really about." We're proud to debut the new short film from Australian filmmaker Neil Harvey, the same director who made the fascinating short Robbie, created entirely from NASA footage. His new film is called Detroit, 2029, and it's a "thoughtlog" from the future also made using some pre-existing footage. The story follows an elite military operator who captures raw footage of an invasion in Detroit of "spectres", and he gets sort of transferred into one of these "extraterrestrials". It's another interesting science fiction creation to watch.

Who you gonna call?! These women! To 'bust some ghosts, and clean up the supernatural haunting your neighborhood. Yesterday, a paparazzi shot of all four Ghostbusters stars in their jumpsuits leaked to the internet. So to follow-up, director Paul Feig has tweeted out the first full image of the four new 'busters in front of the Ecto-1 (also revealed this week). Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones star as the new Ghostbusters, and we get to see all four of them in this shot. I love the look of all of them, each one is unique, and it looks like this is going to be so much fun. This is our first official look.

"I think audiences get too comfortable and familiar in today's movies. They believe everything they're hearing and seeing… I like to shake that up." If you're a longtime reader of this blog, you already know that I am outspoken fan of filmmaker Christopher Nolan. I think he's one of the best filmmakers working today, and his movies are incomparable in their grandeur and intelligent design. Not everyone agrees, but we all have our own opinions of course. Criticisms aside, Nolan has made some very intelligent, very bold films - including Memento and The Prestige. He has a style and storytelling technique that is refined and sleek, yet still cinematic and engaging. This extended but excellent video tribute made by a fellow fan (found via The Playlist) highlights many of his themes and tricks. And it makes me love his work even more. Enjoy!

You can do it, Duncan! Legendary's big new Warcraft movie is currently scheduled for release in June of 2016, meaning there's still 11 more months until it's fully finished and playing in theaters. However, director Duncan Jones is already eyeing something to fill his time for those next 11 months - possibly making his passion project sci-fi film Mute. During an interview with Duncan at Comic-Con, Empire heard from the Warcraft director that he's hoping to make it happen. "It's 11 months to sneak in my little indie sci-fi before Warcraft comes out… I got Moon done in 11 months." Well, here's hoping all the pieces are falling in place.